October 16, 2007
10:00 AM (EDT)

News Release Number: STScI-2007-35

Hubble Finds 'Dorian Gray' Galaxy

October 16, 2007: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope quashed the possibility that what was previously
believed to be a toddler galaxy in the nearby universe may actually be considered
an adult. Called I Zwicky 18, this galaxy has a youthful appearance that resembles
galaxies typically found only in the early universe. Hubble has now found faint,
older stars within this galaxy, suggesting that the galaxy may have formed at the
same time as most other galaxies.

Hubble data also allowed astronomers for the first time to identify Cepheid variable
stars in I Zwicky 18. These flashing stellar mile-markers were used to determine that
I Zwicky 18 is 59 million light-years from Earth, almost 10 million light-years more
distant than previously believed.